Mass Effect Retaliation
by XxTawn-ApartxX
Summary: Based on the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer DLC: "Retaliation". When resistance becomes futile the only option left is to retaliate. Tarin, a battle-hardened turian, battles an old foe with the help of a rag-tag squad of vorcha, asari and batarians. What was supposed to be a black op mission went sideways and turned into a full scale firefight.


_Operation Veil Breaker: a secret recon mission to a backwater world out on the farthest reaches of the Terminus systems, in the Perseus Veil. A team of highly trained lethal operatives were sent to investigate the supposed presence of Reaper activity. So for, all that the recon team have found are a bunch of wayfarers and mercenaries going about their usual business. Nothing unusual. In fact, even an upturned stone would at least give them a reason to stay here any longer on this desolate rock dredged world they had been sent to._

These were the exact thoughts of General Tarin Sensus as he peered through his binoculars at the white structured colony placed in the middle of a valley of red mountains. Strange how this planet reminded him of Mars. The colours, the rocks, just everything seemed so familiar.

His mind then seemed to shift towards the First Contact War: how he had fought on Shanxii a planet dusted red, just like the blood of the many humans he had slaughtered. Tarin was always destined to be a soldier. He was tactical. Practical. Clinical. Three things you did not want to get in a fight with.

"General," A thin flangy voice echoed from behind Tarin as he was torn back to reality, "We just got word from dispatch. They want us to proceed into the compound. Conduct a more thorough search, sir."

Tarin sighed and his mandibles twitched, as he thought of words. He was hoping to avoid direct confrontation with the civilians.

"Okay. Doubt we'll find anything, though. But who knows what the hell these colonists have seen." he said once he had considered the order.

He set down the binoculars and turned away from the cliff-face he had been positioned over. The white boxes of the colony buildings stuck out like snow in a desert, sparkling in the drenched land of sunlight. A warm breeze flew up the cliff and brushed the soldiers. A soothing thing considering the circumstances they were about to get themselves in.

The General stepped past a turian clad in black armour and blue stripes painted along his right and left arms. He had one shoulder piece on his right arm and his battalion insignia under it, he also wore a helmet with the image of a white turian skull splattered along the front. Smiling, unsettling, scary. At the moment you would only be able to make out his piercing yellow eyes under his un-shaded visor; nothing else could be made out of his facial features. A pair of crossbones was also painted onto his breastplate: right over his heart and a many other bones were scrawled onto his armour in various other places

"Crosshairs." Tarin said as he passed the other turian. "There are mercs down there and I don't want to go half-cocked into a fire fight. Check our ammunition and supplies and make sure we'ready to go with full stocks, once that's done set up the 'nest' for over-watch."

"Got it." Crosshairs replied nodding his head and saying nothing more.

Crosshairs was a mystery to Tarin but also his most loyal and competent soldier. No one has ever seen his face outside of the helmet and it is rumoured that he isn't even organic. However, when asked, Crosshairs merely shoots down these comments with a simple 'no' and just looks at you until you turn away.

Tarin continued going forward; strolling over to where two other turians were sitting upon crates playing a game of cards. Their curses and laughter could be heard from the overhang Tarin had been on earlier.

"Red! Nova! Pack up we gotta get moving!" The General shouted across.

The two other soldiers cocked their heads and yelled their 'yes sirs!'. One turian who had the exact same armour as Crosshairs, except for an antennae and communications box on his back and a large blood splatter slapped across the right side of his helmet and chest plate, got up and patted the other turian on the back before leaving; bragging about how had won three-in-a-row.

The other turian just stared back (Although you couldn't tell with any of them because they all wore helmets with reflective visors) and laughed before replying: "you win some you lose some". This soldier wore the exact same armour as the others, except he had a bandolier with grenade shells strapped around his waist and across his chest and his helmet was emblazoned with a golden orange tinge that looked the after effect of a grenade explosion on pause.

"Hey! Nova!" Tarin hollered and the turian with the golden-orange decal responded looking up, "Clean up your cards, stash the gear and get the bikes ready, be ready to go in five!"

"No problem boss, I'm on it." Nova nodded as he cleaned up his station before going to stash the gear in the safe point.

He caught a glimpse of Crosshairs setting up a frame on the overhang and fiddling with some wires. Nova smiled as he approached two mechanised vehicles inside a nearby cave.

"General, tell me you got something for us to do? Can't sit here thrashing Nova at cards any longer: don't think I can keep him from crying sir." The turian with the blood splatter chimed sarcastically.

"Don't get too cocky Red." Tarin chuckled, "Look, I need you to set a relay up and radio those colonists about us coming okay? Don't want to hit a bump on the last stretch."

"Sure thing Captain!" Red said and gave a mock salute, then turned to leave.

"It's General soldier."

"Oh sorry," He said mockingly, "Sometimes I forget."

"Well try not to."

The sun was beginning to set, a great big fuzzy ball of auburn light. Streaks of rays flashed onto the Cliffside and broke the crevices making intricate patterns along the floor.

_Beautiful, Tarin thought. Too bad this place is on the edge of the Terminus and soon to be ravaged by the Reapers, he also thought. In fact, now that he thought about it even more, isn't this a suicide mission? If there are Reapers here, how is he and his team and those colonists supposed to survive?_

Never mind. He shook the idea away from his thoughts. Palaven Command wouldn't send the best recon team in to get killed… Would they?

Suddenly, the General heard a scraping noise and he jumped. Luckily, it was only Nova moving the vehicles out of the cave. A loud rev was heard and Tarin looked over at Red. He was sitting back against the wall omni-toll near his head, frantically speaking. On the other side he saw Crosshairs, now standing up and tampering on his omni-tool near the frame.

Everything looked good and Tarin felt confident as he went over to the overhang and peered over at the polished specks etched in the red landscape, that this mission would go smoothly. However, that on asteroid that had now circled the planet three times since they got here was kind of making him feel sceptical.

_Is this a bad omen, he thought yet again?_

_**Thanks for reading guys! Review me if you want this story to continue!**_


End file.
